EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Duquesne was picked to repeat as Northeast Conference (NEC) champions in the league's Preseason Coaches Poll, announced at NEC Media Day on July 24 at MetLife Stadium. The Dukes also had six players named to the All-Northeast Conference Football Preseason Team.
This is the 14th straight season that DU is top three in the conference preseason coaches' poll. Duquesne has now received at least one first place vote in 13 of the last 14 preseason polls and are the preseason favorites for the first time since 2019.
Quarterback Darius Perrantes and wide receiver Tedy Afful along with transfers Noah Canty (tight end) and Vincent Lumia (offensive line) represented DU on the offensive side of the preseason All-NEC team, while defensive lineman A.J. Ackerman and linebacker Gianni Rizzo earned preseason nods on defense.
Perrantes, a senior out of Los Angeles, Calif., led the NEC with 21 passing touchdowns, 2,324 yards and paced the entire FCS with an average of 17.74 yards per completion as a first team all-conference selection in 2023.
Afful is the top returning receiver from the league-leading DU passing offense in 2023. The Bloomfield, N.J, product by way of Stony Brook snagged five touchdowns (third-most in NEC) and ranked ninth in the league in receiving yards with 435 averaging 17.5 per catch (sixth in NEC). Afful posted a career-high 135 yards in the win over Central Connecticut State, which was the most yards by an NEC receiver in a game last season.
Canty transferred to Duquesne after spending three seasons at Stonehill. A reigning second team All-NEC selection racked up 25 catches for 272 yards last season and arrives on the Bluff with 465 yards and three touchdowns over 24 career games.
Lumia rejoins the Dukes after one season at Louisville. The Rivera Beach, Fla. native was at Duquesne for five seasons prior to 2023 and was a two-time all-conference selection at right tackle (2020-21 and 2021).
A back-to-back preseason all-conference selection, Ackerman started 29 consecutive games on the DU defensive line before having his 2023 season cut short due to an injury at Coastal Carolina. Ackerman, a graduate student out of Elizabeth, Pa., has charted 56 tackles, 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks as a Duke.
Rizzo was a second team All-NEC honoree last year after leading the Dukes with 10.0 tackles-for-loss (third in NEC). A local product from North Huntingdon, Pa., Rizzo added 3.5 sacks and 68 tackles with double digit stops in each of the final three games in 2023.
Jerry Schmitt, who ranks sixth among active coaches with 120 FCS wins, will lead the Dukes for his 20th season. Duquesne won its sixth NEC title and made its third appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs with a 7-5 (6-1 NEC) record last season.
The Dukes report to camp on Sunday and open the 2024 season with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Thursday, August 29 at Toledo. The home opener is scheduled for September 21 against West Virginia Wesleyan, while conference play opens on Homecoming and Family Weekend against LIU on October 5 at Rooney Field. Single game and season tickets are available now.
FULL 2024 SCHEDULE
2024 PROSPECTUS
FULL NEC RELEASE
2024 NEC Preseason Poll (first-place votes)
- Duquesne (5)
- Saint Francis U (1)
- Robert Morris
- LIU (1)
- Stonehill
- Wagner
- CCSU
* Mercyhurst is not eligible for preseason All-NEC honors and the regular-season title in 2024.
NEC Media Day Interview on ESPN+/NEC Front Row
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